Vegetable seeds

By sowing vegetable seed you can grow all of your favourite vegetables, eat healthily and save money.

Growing vegetables from seed is a lot cheaper than buying them from the shops. For the price of a few tomatoes in the shops you can grow a virtually endless supply at home. Growing from seed obviously takes longer but with a bit of planning and enough planting space you might never have to buy vegetables again.

You have total control over how your vegetables are grown. You decide what is used to encourage growth, giving you the chance to grow organically or at least limit any chemicals used.

There’s a huge variety of vegetable seeds available, which means you can always find your favourites and experiment with unusual varieties. Whatever vegetables you decide to grow, the joy of nurturing your seeds to fully grown plants is very rewarding.

Seeding and seedlings

For best results when planting seeds, plant two or more per pot. Once the seedlings have established themselves, remove the weaker ones. This ensures there is enough room for the stronger specimens to develop.

Larger seeds (such as peas and beans) should be sown two per planting station, then, after the first ‘true leaves’ have formed, thin out the weaker seedling. With smaller seeds you can scatter them over compost in a seed tray and then thin them out to give each one sufficient space. Check your seed packet for more information.

Transplanting

After two or three good leaves have formed on the plants they should be ready to plant in their own individual container, or directly outside if all risk of frost has passed. Ensure that you only hold the seedlings by the leaves while you are transplanting them to a larger pot. Otherwise it is easy to damage the plant by pinching the stem. Use a pen or a teaspoon to ease out the roots to ensure the minimum disturbance to their growth.

It is important to acclimatise your young plant to the temperature and elements of outdoors. The process of ‘hardening off’ requires you to slowly let your plants acclimatise by leaving them outdoors in the day and indoors at night. This varies for each plant as some are hardier than others. Do this for around a week and then leave them out over night for a few nights. After this they will be fully adjusted to the cold conditions and ready to be planted in the soil.

For all vegetables, make sure that you prepare the soil by digging the plot over thoroughly removing all weeds and weed roots and raking the ground level.

The best time to plant out your crops is late in the afternoon on a cloudy day so they avoid the excessive heat of the midday sun and the sudden temperature drop of clear nights. After planting, your plants may initially droop but they should soon perk up just as long as you keep them well watered during the first few days.

Watering

Some seedlings and young plants can be a little fragile and may require special care when watering. Seedlings should grow in moist compost. Water them by misting the plants with a spray so they don’t drown or get washed away. Mature crops which have been recently planted out also need special care. Ensure the ground doesn’t get waterlogged or dry out.

We hope these few tips will help and encourage you to sow your own vegetable seeds and reap the rewards.